It’s been over a week now since we returned from this summer’s
Cycleforward trip, which led our group of about 25 to the foothills of
southwestern Alberta all the way to Waterton National Park. A couple of weeks earlier
I had injured my ribs in a fall, so I decided – reluctantly but wisely, as it
turned out - against biking and drove our pickup as one of the accompanying
vehicles instead. It somehow doesn’t feel right: a big part of this adventure
is the time spent together on the bikes, enjoying the landscape immediately as
it is only possible in biking, hiking or horseback riding, facing the same
difficulties as your fellow bikers. Both were abundant on this trip, beautiful
landscape and challenges, and even watching from behind or driving by I saw
what this brave and strong group of people were dealing with: long drawn-out
climbs, sometimes steep hills, very strong winds and intermittent showers with
not very summery temperatures.
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| View from Tullichewan Ranch near Black Diamond |
I don’t feel fully qualified to report on more
than this, so will just include photos of our stops at the ranches of two
friends, Ben and Steph’s ‘Grazed Right’ Tullichewan Ranch near Black Diamond
and Nick’s, Holly’s and Jack’s place near Pincher Creek, both gracious hosts generously
opening their homes and yards to our big group of people.
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| Bar U Ranch National Historic Site on the way south along Hwy. 22 |
I also have a few photos
from our second night at Chain Lakes campground where we had a large group site
all to ourselves, surrounded by amazing wildflowers.
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| Chain Lakes Campground |
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| Gaillardia (Blanket Flower) |
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| Fleabane | | |
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| Western Wild Bergamot | | |
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| Sticky Geranium |
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| Old Man's Whiskers (Geum Triflorum) |
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| Lunch break at the Oldman River |
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| Morning rainbow near Pincher Creek |
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| A visit to Head-Smashed-In-Buffalo-Jump |
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| Getting close to Waterton |
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| View from Crooked Creek campground |
Crooked Creek campground,
where we spent the last two nights, only a few kilometres away from the
entrance to the gates to Waterton NP, was very nice as well, except that we experienced
less than perfect weather on the last morning and decided to either turn north
towards home instead of staying an extra day, or south into Glacier National
Park in the US, something Johann and I had planned originally and took up again
when it rained all morning with a temperature of only 9 degrees Celsius.
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| Biking up to Red Rock Canyon, Waterton NP |
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| Waterton Lake, view from the Prince of Wales Hotel - better hang on to your hats (and grandchildren)
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